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Waratahs wary of `Beastly` Sharks

Tuesday 20th May 2008

Tendai Mtawarira: But you can call him 'Beast'

The Waratahs are wary of Tendai Mtawarira - affectionately known as the "Beast"- and the Sharks scrum as they prepare for Saturday's semi-final showdown with the Durban-based franchise at the Sydney Football Stadium.

The Waratahs pack has garnered plenty of praise this season, with their previously maligned scrum also gaining plaudits.

However, Waratahs and Wallaby prop Al Baxter was under no illusions about the task facing his pack this weekend.

While he said the compliments for the Waratahs' pack were nice, he took them with a grain of salt.

He said their form this year was the fruition of plenty of hard work throughout the season.

"But I think this will be the real test this weekend, because these guys I think are the best South African scrum and have been scrummaging really well," Baxter told AAP.

He rated Zimbabwean-born prop Mtawarira as "an excellent front rower" and noted the 22-year-old former flanker "took apart the Chiefs' scrum" last week.

"So it's going to be tough this weekend against the Beast," said Baxter.

"He's very very strong, they've got an excellent pack and an excellent front row and I think he might be the only non-Springbok in their 22 and I think that's because he's Zimbabwean."

Mtawarira has in fact qualified to play for the Springboks and will no doubt feature in Peter de Villiers' plans this season after an impressive Super 14.

"He's playing really well, the rest of the front row is playing really well, it's going to be a challenge both technique and strength," added Baxter.

Baxter said the Waratahs' scrum broke even with the Sharks in their Round Eleven encounter which the home team won 25-10 in Sydney.

The match brings together two of the form number eights of the competition in the Waratahs' Wycliff Palu and the Sharks' Ryan Kankowski.

"He (Kankowski) is really skilful and really quick, hopefully he's out there in the backs trying to go round them instead of trying to make me look bad," joked Palu.

The Waratahs leading try-scorer with five, Palu quipped he had spent too much time out on the wing this season.

He attributed his fantastic form this year to his weight loss and his first injury free season in recent memory.

Waratahs scrum-half Luke Burgess felt his backline was still to unleash its best form this year and was hoping it would happen this weekend.

"I don't think we've played to our full potential, we've been close a couple of times but it hasn't come together yet," said Burgess.

"The theory is that we just keep concentrating on the basics and hopefully the experience we've gained over the Super 14 season will help us improve."

He said his own combination with fly-half Kurtley Beale was "coming along slowly" and was wary of the Sharks' half-back pair of Rory Kockott and Ruan Piennar.